


Another Word for Witness, is Liability

by White_x_Paladin



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 14:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16662527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_x_Paladin/pseuds/White_x_Paladin
Summary: (From the POV of the reader, Combat Medic 503 or CM-503 or just 503)503 is a combat medic with the Military.  The story begins when 503 gets sent back into the field on a very secret mission, with the promise that the completion of this mission can stop the war with the rogue omnics.  Just a simple intell extraction, or so it seems.





	Another Word for Witness, is Liability

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work, so bear with me. It might seem a little slow at first but the OW part is just around the corner. I plan to make this a long story, so I hope you're up for that. Anyways, enjoy!

The ball point pen scratched softly against the paper as it had been for the last 4 hours. The iridescent lights straining your eyes as you filled out the mandatory paperwork. You’d been caring for patients all day, and now it was time to file the proper reports. There wasn’t too much to report, or anything out of the ordinary. The Recruits that dropped by only had a couple abrasions and sprains; nothing you couldn’t handle.

After a witnessing a couple bad missions on the field, your commander decided you needed a break. He’d temporarily sent you back to base to care for recruits. The Base Medic was a less stressful job compared to Combat medic, and you’d definitely needed some rest.

“Hey doc, did you hear the news?” The Assistant Medic said as he peaked his head into your shared office.

“No, what’s the big news, Spencer?” You asked looking at him for a second before returning to your work.

“They called for Squadron 6, and Combat Medics 503 and 521. They have a new mission for you guys. I don’t know much about it but, rumor is this is the big one. You know, they said you’re infiltrating an old factory to get info on the omnium. Martin called it ‘The Last Mission’.” He said throwing up finger quotes. 

You scoffed. “This is Martin we’re talking about. He’s the one that told me duct tape is made from ducks. I don’t know how true his information is.”

“Yeah, but still. I don’t think he would lie about a mission. Especially if he’s on it with you, 503. Either way, you should go check with the Commander.” To this you gave an involuntary nod.

“You’re right, I’ll go see him. It’s past meal time, he should be in his office by now.” Talking mostly to yourself, you’d dropped all thought of work and almost walked completely out the door before realizing you what you were doing. “Hey, would you mind finishing this paperwork for me while I check up on this supposed mission? I’ve gotten all but the last one filled out, and I need them placed in the manila folders with all the other basic reports. It’ll take maybe 20 minutes.”

“Do you even know who you’re talking too?! I can’t do that!” Shock evident on his face. You sighed about to return to your desk when he said, “you’ll have to settle for 10 minutes.”

“Spencer, I swear one day you’re gonna bug someone else like you bug me, and that will be the very day I’m filling out your medical report.” You laughed jokingly. 

“I understand, not everyone can have the patience of a Saint like you.” He grumbled flopping down in your chair, and spinning once before getting to work.

“You’re too kind. Anyway, thank you for the help. I’ll be back soon.” You waved goodbye before turning to leave.  
Once in the hall you heard him shout back, “Good luck 503, let me know all the deets!”, to which you gave a light chuckle and continued down the hall. 

 

Your boots made a soft clicking noise as you walked down the dull linoleum floor. The sharp and bitter smell of cleaning products smothered anything that entered the Medical wing. It’s smell clung to your clothes, grasping at every thread. It followed you all throughout the corridors until you reached the Superior Officer’s section of the building. This was one of the highest security parts of the base. There was such a high security, that you didn’t even know how many floors were in this sector, let alone what was on them. Lucky for you being one of the head Combat Medics, you were generously given an access key and placed in the identification system, so you could attend meetings will the other officials. Granted, you weren’t given access to everything, only the ground floor where the briefing rooms and a few offices were. You were highly trusted by your officials, so you were free to enter and talk with them anytime on official business. A perk that you would certainly use to your advantage.  
You scanned you Identification card, signaling a small panel to open up. Behind this panel was a small screen which you placed your right hand on. The screen lit up with a single horizontal line which traveled up and down the screen. The Metal doors slid open with a hiss, as you removed your hand from the now closing panel, and walked forward.  
Nothing could have caught you off guard as much as the sight of the area you just walked into. People were running back and forth, ruffled papers in hand, unorganized stacks of folders being transfer from person to person. All the phones were ringing wildly from the offices on either side of the room; doors unnaturally left open. The normally quiet floor was buzzing with activity. ‘Maybe Martin was right.’ You hated to think it, but based on the chaos you just walked into, something was definitely going on.

“Excuse me, have you seen Commander Hobbes?” You asked the nearest Soldier who was carrying a stack of folders, the size of a which strained your arms to look at.

“Yeah, He’s talking to Captain Sanchez in his office. I’m headed that way to give him these actually.” He lifted his arms a bit, gesturing to the folders.

“Oh! Here, I’ll help since we’re both going that way.” You said taking half the stack. Although it was heavy, you didn’t regret it after seeing the relieved look on the Soldier’s face. “So, what’s with all the folders?” You asked cautiously.

“Well, I’m not supposed to have any exact details on the subject, but everyone was told all this is information for Squadron 6’s mission. Heard it was a big one….” 

“I heard about the mission too.”

“You did? How? It was supposed to be contained to this sector only.” He said looking only slightly irritated.

“Well, first of all, you shouldn’t get to upset about it getting out. You literally just told me when I asked.” 

“You got me there.” He gave you small laugh and a defeated smile. 

“And to answer your question, I was told that I’m going out with Squadron 6 for this.” At this you saw the man beside you tense, the smile leaving his face. “Wait, is something wrong?” You asked, wondering if you said something out of line. 

“N-no. Nothing’s wrong.” He said all too quickly. It was silent between you two, until you finally reached the closed door of Hobbes’ office. Before you could knock the soldier beside you caught your hand. “Before we go in there, I want to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just, I’ve seen what’s on some of these files… What this mission calls for… Just-“ He looked conflicted. As if he wanted to tell me something but couldn’t. “Just be careful out there 503, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll be okay. I’m the walking emergency kit. I have enough band-aids to fix more skinned knees than you could count.” You laughed, but the grave look on the soldier’s face told you that was the wrong response.

He sighed, patting you on the shoulder and displaying a weak smile, before knocking on the door himself. A muffled “Come in”, let you both know it was alright to enter. I almost walked straight into Captain Sanchez who seemed to be rushing to get out of the office. He looked angry as he stood up, until he met my gaze. His face contorted into one of pain and… sorrow? He hesitated for a few seconds, then mumbled a “sorry”, exiting the room swiftly. The interaction felt odd to say the least. 

Commander Hobbes was at his desk, eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was bothered by something. “Commander Hobbes, I brought the information you had requested for the mission.” The soldier interjected, cutting the tension.

“Alright set it on my desk.” He huffed, eyes still closed as he gestured to the desk in front of him. The Soldier set his stack down and then took the second from my arms. “Sir, you also have a Combat Medic who would like to speak with you.” 

“I don’t have time for this right now, Soldier. I’m so busy and caught up in this mission. Heck, I still need to inform the squad what the hell they’re gonna be doing!” He sighed deeply, returning to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Can you just ask them to come back later?”

“Sir, with all due respect, it’s CM – 503 requesting to speak with you.” The was a short pause.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” He said, finally opening his eyes, a smile spreading across his face. “You’re dismissed, soldier.” He walked out closing the door behind him, leaving you and Hobbes. He gestured for you to sit, to which you obliged. “How have you been, 503?”

“I’ve been good, and yourself?”

“Actually, not so good. A lot of work today.” He grunted.

“That’s actually what I came to talk about, if you don’t mind, sir?”

“You don’t have to keep calling me sir, but yes, continue.”

You shuffled in your seat a bit, squeezing your hands. “Commander, I was wondering about the mission. I was wondering what the mission would consist of, since we only have the 2 combat medics for a whole squadron? Also, does this mean I'm I being restationed from the base to the field?”

“ ’Was going to call you and Martin in here to explain it to you, but Martin got to me first. I hadn’t got the chance to leave my desk long enough to contact you, let alone have someone else request you down here. Anyway, I’ll brief you here in private. So… the ‘Mission’ ”, He said growing serious once more. “This is the biggest mission you will be on. It’s crucial that this goes as planned. It’s not a battle, this is infiltration and information extraction. There should be no casualties, but a skilled medic or two should be there in case of accidental injury such as friendly fire.” He paused for a second, as if weighing his words. “Yes. You are being moved back to the field. I had no choice in the matter.”  
You froze. You’d be back on the field. Back in the line of fire. Seeing firsthand the casualties. Soldiers and civilians alike. No matter what it was, it was always a grisly scene. War was war, and you were fighting to keep people alive.

After a moment you composed yourself. “It’s alright Commander, I’ve sat on the bench long enough. So, when’s do we leave?”

“You depart tonight.”

“Tonight?” Your throat tightened. You weren’t ready.

“As soon as I brief the Squadron. Which reminds me, I’m late.” He stood, grabbing one of the folders off his desk. “Take one of these. Head back to your sector, pack your belongings, collect your supplies, and read through this. Martin should do the same. I’ll see you on the helipad in 45.” With that he walked out of the room, leaving you in chair.  
It was a lot to take in. First, you’re being sent back onto the field. The horrors of the previous missions still haunted you. You weren’t comfortable with this. Hobbes said he didn’t make the call to send you, so that means someone higher than him ordered it. Which brings you to your next soul shattering news of the night, the mission was big. If you remember correctly, he said this would be the biggest mission of you career. That’s a lot of pressure. And Last, but not least, you had to leave the very night you’re given the intell on the matter at hand. The situation practically screamed ‘danger’. The importance of the mission seemed to outweigh your fear. You knew this is something you’d have to do. Your officials were calling on you. Squadron 6 was trusting on you. The world was relying on you, or so it felt. With this thought, you rushed back to the medical sector. 

 

If this was going to happen, you had no time to waste. You entered your office in a hurry grabbing a bag out of a nearby cabinet, placing it on the counter. Opening cabinets, you collected supplies, picking only the necessities. You laid these carefully out on the counter beside the bag. Once a fair amount of gauze, sterile pads, and various ointments and medications had been gathered, did you start filling your pack.

“I guess Martin was right after all…” A voice interrupted. Turning to face them, you notice the folder in their hand. 

“Spencer, you know you aren’t supposed to see that. It’s classified.” You reached a hand out for the folder, to which he reluctantly placed in your hand. “Besides, I haven’t even read through it.” 

You took a glance at its contents. The first and only page read ‘INFILTRATION OF ROGUE OMNIC FACTORY’. The title alone sent chills down your spine. An omnic factory. There’s no telling what could be in there. You read further. ‘STATUS OF DESTINATION: Abandoned’ Then the place is clear. There would be no enemy. The thought calmed your nerves. The next few lines were directions hidden in code on how to get there. The very last information read as, ‘DIRECTIVE: Have Squadron 6 and company locate and enter Omnium. Search for computer located in WEST WING. Download all contents of computing machine into given memory device. EXTRACTION.’

“Hey Spencer, Martin was right about this being a potentially big task. The only thing is, it seems so simple.” 

“Maybe there’s more to it?” 

“I don’t know, it’s pretty straight forward.” You said trying to convince yourself.

“When are you leaving then?” He asked, referring to your strategic packing.

You looked up at the clock on the wall. “We depart in about 20”, You said filling your bag with the rest of the supplies “That gives me enough time to finish this and get to the helipad.”

“So… you’re really going then?” Was that a touch of sadness in his voice?

“Yeah, I have to. I can’t deny an order from the higher ups. Plus, I can’t leave Martin in charge of medical procedure. We’ll have more injured soldiers just from his gauze wrapping, than anything else.” You joked trying to lighten the serious tone.

“Alright, but swear you’ll both come back so I can tell Martin you said that about him.” He said extending and arm towards you.

“Okay, I swear.” You shook hands to make it official. 

You both sat in silence. Neither one of you wanting to let go of each other’s hand. Reluctantly, Spencer was the first to break the silence. “I-I hate to say goodbye first, but I might actually cry if I don’t go now.” He said letting go of your hand.

“It’s alright, I understand. I’ll be back in 48 hours’ time, though. So please don’t worry too much.” You said trying to fake a smile

“48 hours, I’ll hold you to that 503.” He said a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He loved to hold things over your head.

“Goodbye, 504.” You huffed, pushing him out the door and closing it. You turned back to the file on the desk.

So, it was going to be an easy mission? Get in and get out. You probably wouldn’t even have to enter the building. Sitting on the outside and waiting for the call of an injury, or the call for back up, didn’t sound like too bad of a job. You were becoming less and less worried about the fact you would be returning to the field. The only concern you had at this point was the fact that the mission seemed so… easy. 

Compared to the previous research lab you worked in, being in the military, and even your current directive seemed like a walk in the park. Heck, anything else seemed better than sitting in the highly outdated lab, hands tied based on restrictions from the CEO. You were lucky to even be allowed a petri dish in that office. Gosh, one time you even went behind the CEO’s back and started working with electrical prosthetics. You’d made somethings that impressed even your colleagues, that is, until someone snitched. They’d confiscated your research, all your supplies, and left you out on the street to find a new career. What you found after that was as much interesting, as it was dangerous. You became a combat medic, and today was the day to prove that you’d earned that title. You picked up your small, but heavily packed bag and headed out to find Martin and the Helipad.


End file.
